Redevelopment Of Providence Waterfront Land Up For City Hearing

City Councilors meeting in Providence Tuesday evening will consider a plan to redevelop the Providence waterfront. They could vote to move forward with...

by John Bender

City Councilors meeting in Providence Tuesday evening will consider a plan to redevelop the Providence waterfront. They could vote to move forward with an effort to revamp some 300 acres.

The redevelopment area stretches along the lower Providence waterfront, from about Thurbers Avenue south to Fields Point. It would transfer control of the land to the Providence Redevelopment Agency, the city organization that works to improve blighted areas in the city. The plan would also fund environmental cleanup of the site, much of which is heavily contaminated.

The plan is not intended to prep the land for residential use, in fact, it’s just the opposite.

The idea is to encourage more industrial use in the area, which is currently home to ports, energy companies, and a scrap metal yard. The plan also calls for the construction of a new railway system, a refurbished port, and a new facility for the department of public works.

Expanding the city’s industrial waterfront is something Mayor Jorge Elorza has championed since his campaign. Opponents have said Providence is missing an opportunity to capitalize on water views mixed use, and residential development.

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